The year was 2002, still getting on and off the cheese bus, and steady mowing the neighbor's yard to earn a little cash. With EBONY, Jet, and Essence being the only magazine the moms subscribed to, it was a quick trip to the mall to get my monthly dose of VIBE Magazine. A steady read in every issue. An inspiration to Phresh Mentality. The rawness of the articles, the creativity of the layouts, and the undying interaction with the readers; principles that PM is based.

The media & entertainment community will puts our lighters up for you.

Below is a letter to the VIBE team from a former CEO.

"Dear VIBE Team,

It is with a heavy heart that I share some tough news, VMG is closing down effective today, June 30th.

It’s been an 16 incredible years since VIBE’s inception. There are very few magazines with the richness of history and breadth of talented visionaries who created the powerful lens in which VIBE viewed and shaped urban music and culture.
Ever since I first set foot in this courageous company, I’ve regarded myself as incredibly fortunate to be be involved with this remarkable brand and group of individuals whose performance has never been nothing short of outstanding. We finished 2008 in an improved position versus the prior year, and accomplished so much, including:
* Editorial Awards
* Editorial transformation into content dept
* New Ad accounts being broken
* The Most Mag Launch
* Award winning re-design
* Profitable digital operation
* VIBE.com growth and improvements and programs such as Best Rapper Ever, #1 Stan, etc
* Mobile VIBE launch
* Micro-site development Mostmag.com to start off.
* V Sessions
* Improved PR coverage

Unfortunately, over the last several months, a confluence of events has obviously posed VMG to exceedingly serious challenges.

The collapse of the capital markets has impacted us greatly. Over the past several months, we have actively pursued investment resources while working intensively with our bank to find a solution. But the deal market right now remains very poor and at the end of the day, the lack of investment resources to restructure the huge debt on our small company has made this outcome become a reality.

PHRESH MENTALITY: When did your interest in music begin.

Mr. Boyd: It started with Miles Davis and Michael Jackson. They were just so cool with it that it made music visual for me, and I'm a visual artist first. Of course, I'm a fan of all the production Quincy Jones did.

PHRESH MENTALITY: Another musical mastermind. What type of label are u currently under?

Mr. Boyd: Fedoralime AMFC, it's my own label. It's also the company I do creative consulting and production for other artist under. The idea is to blur the line art made for commerce and art that is actually made with some sense of reflection of where society is as a whole. That is what I've always gotten from the visual artist I studied as a child. Like Warhol, Vangogh, and Basquiat.

PM: A concept that most labels are forgetting now to embody.

MB: Yeah that always happens when money gets involved.

PM: Exactly. We lose sight, which is quite unfortunate.

MB: People start to forget that there are people on the other side of those dollars and that every dollar has a heart and a soul that needs to be touched. It can be overwhelming to a large company which is why I think smaller labels are doing so much better now.

[Daps up on that one]



MB: My plan is to use my first album as a way to let people know that I don't really care what the industry thinks. I really care what you NEED, and together we can change the industry. The industry is only ineterested in your dollars anyway. So start puting your money where your heart is and this will all be fine.

--------------------------------- 6:28 pm ---------------------------------

PM: Why do you think it is so hard for artist to maintain their dedication to the art after signing to the industry?

MB: Honestly. I think a lot of industry execs don't study what's behind the numbers like they used to. They don't study culture nor do they understand what really motivates people. They start to tell artists that their music is about industry and not people. How could it not be about the people?

MB: Most artist in particular black artist choose this profession without many other viable options. I truly think there will never be another Stevie Wonder, because as genius as he was, a Stevie Wonder today has options and he might choose another profession instead of subjecting himself to today's industry and play music as a hobbie or be an independent artist.

PM: Because there's so much foolishness that goes along with trying to be a talented mainstream artist that being independent might just be the only way.

MB: and their are so many genius independent artists out there who don't care about the industry, and are willing to do it the hard way. When it all comes down to making real fans, you gotta do it 1 by 1. It's a hard pill to swallow, but that's what it is.



PM: how do you feel the independent/indie community has evolved over the past 5-years, for your personal career included?

MB: a large label marketing partner is a GREAT THING, but only if the artist understands who they are first. Today's independent artists are tomorrows mainstream artists now. They create the textures we'll be using in pop music next year and because of the internet over the last 5 years or so, people and consumers what that texture underneath pop music at a quicker rate. It's kinda like how high fashion trickles down to mainstream once larger retailers can figure out how to apply a mass marketing campaign to something that most will think is new and untested

--------------------------------- 6:38 pm ---------------------------------



PM: Perfect example, 'Devils Wears Prada' anyone? It all has to begin somewhere. Exactly, it flows bottom - up.

MB: Independent artist over the last for years have been forced to take on the responsibility of moving the sound of music forward. Now we all can hear where Timbaland pulls his ideas from. Before the internet we had no access to artist doing pop music in Sweden, or remote parts of Japan.